Cheshire East planners have recommended that councillors reject a retail and housing development in Sandbach for the second time on heritage grounds.

The planning application, put forward by the Muller Property Group, proposes to demolish an existing property and erect 14 apartments with commercial units on the ground floor on Brookhouse Road.

The council rejected the scheme last year for failing to "conserve or enhance the Conservation Area or surrounding Listed Buildings", but the developer says the new application has been amended overcome the objections.

A number of other concerns have been raised during the consultation process, including the overdevelopment of the site.

The town council planning committee concluded: "There is no urgent requirement for more town centre apartments with several other similar developments underway in the town centre.

"Sandbach has already identified more than its required allocation of residential development for the period of the Local Plan."

The town councillors also said that there is no demand for new retail units as evidenced by the number of those empty within the town.

Despite these concerns, the Cheshire East planning officers determined that the retail element of the development does comply with current policies and the additional employment "does attract some weight".

The applicant suggests that the development would create 40 full-time and 30 part-time jobs within its retail space.

Seventeen local households have also objected to the plans, raising issues including that it would "cause a shift away from the historic town centre" and an increase in road traffic.

The planning officers concluded that the development would "not have a material impact on the local road network".

The planning officers' report also identifies concerns raised by Cheshire Police that the "low walled planters and front boundary wall will encourage informal seating and potentially create anti-social behaviour".

Residents' safety was also raised as the car park is set away from the apartment building entrance, with police being concerned about the lack of lighting or CCTV.

Among the concerns raised during the consultation, the planning officers have recommended that the development be rejected solely on design and build heritage grounds due to the listed buildings along High Street and the nearby St Mary's Church.

The report said: "The proposed development would be overly dominant and uncharacteristic in this historic context.

"The scale, mass and height of the new development will adversely impact upon the character and appearance of the Conservation Area and the setting of the Listed Buildings within the vicinity of the site, especially the view into the Conservation Area from the west focused upon one of the principal heritage assets - St Mary's Church."

The planning officers concluded: "The benefits of this scheme would not outweigh the identified harm."

The final decision on this development will be made by councillors on the southern planning committee on Wednesday (26 May). For further details and to watch the meeting, click here.